Charles University has opened the most modern campus in the Czech Republic
On Wednesday, 23 September, Charles University officially opened the new Charles University Campus in Hradec Králové. It is one of the largest investments in the university’s history and one of the most modern university campuses in Europe. The new campus is directly connected to the University Hospital Hradec Králové. It brings together the teaching, research, and facilities of both the Faculty of Pharmacy and the Faculty of Medicine under one roof. This creates an important European centre for education in medicine, pharmacy, and biomedicine.
The Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové play a key role in educating future healthcare professionals. Long-term student interest in their degree programmes—such as Pharmacy, General Medicine, Dentistry, Laboratory Diagnostics in Healthcare, Medicinal Plants and Nutraceuticals, General Nursing, and Midwifery—remains very high.
The new campus will greatly improve conditions for studying, teaching, research, and daily work for staff from both faculties. It will also support cooperation between different fields, master’s and doctoral programmes, international exchange visits for students, and help attract more international applicants. In addition, it will create new opportunities for lifelong learning and interdisciplinary research.
Qualified healthcare experts from both faculties will now be able to help solve current healthcare problems more easily, especially those related to lifestyle diseases and an ageing population.
Construction of the campus started in August 2023 and received its final building approval in June 2026. Teaching and research spaces are located in the main building. It includes new lecture halls with modern audio-visual equipment, a library, seminar rooms, student laboratories, a simulation centre, a practice pharmacy, dissection rooms, and a shared animal research facility. A smaller central building houses the dean's offices, the language department, and the canteen. The whole complex can welcome up to 4,500 people.
“The opening of the new MEPHARED 2 campus in Hradec Králové clearly shows that investing in education and science is a priority for our government. It is not just about building modern facilities, but a strategic step for the entire Czech healthcare system. By connecting the medical and pharmaceutical faculties in one place next to the university hospital, we are creating top conditions for educating a new generation of doctors and pharmacists. This is one of the biggest investments in the history of Czech higher education, started in 2018 under our government at the time, and I am very glad it was successfully finished. This project cost over seven billion CZK and shows how effectively we can use European and national grants to build key infrastructure,” said Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.
“The opening of the new MEPHARED 2 building is a major step forward for Czech higher education and biomedical research. It creates a modern environment that connects high-quality education for future doctors and pharmacists with top-level research. This investment will help Czech science stay competitive internationally and will ultimately improve healthcare quality for people in the Czech Republic. I am glad this important project was supported by the National Recovery Plan and that both European and national funds were used wisely for education, research, and innovation. I wish students, teachers, and researchers that these new facilities bring them inspiration and help move Czech medicine and pharmacy forward,” added Minister of Education Robert Plaga.
“The new campus was prepared over many years and is one of the largest investments in the history of our university. However, its value is not just about the size of the buildings. Two faculties that previously worked in overcrowded and separate places now share modern facilities built for how medicine and pharmacy are taught today. We want our students to work with high-quality teaching, research, and modern technology right from the start of their studies. This investment will serve Charles University and Czech healthcare for decades,” stated Jiří Zima, Rector of Charles University.
“The official opening of this shared campus is the result of a bold vision started many years ago: to build a modern centre for education, science, and cooperation in Hradec Králové. The new campus offers both faculties state-of-the-art space for teaching and research. Together with the Faculty of Military Health Sciences and the University Hospital Hradec Králové, we now have a strong biomedical centre. It will bring great benefits to Charles University, our region, and the whole country,” said Jaroslav Roh, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové.
“The opening of the new campus is one of the most important moments for the Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové since it was founded. We are gaining the most advanced academic facilities for biomedical fields in the Czech Republic, excellent classrooms and research labs, and shared infrastructure with the Faculty of Pharmacy. This campus gives us a great opportunity to work more closely together, share knowledge and technology, connect study with real medical practice, and improve the quality of our teaching and research,” stated Petr Hejna, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové.
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Key features of the building
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Usable floor area: Faculty Building: 62,421 m², Central Building: 9,436 m²
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Enclosed building volume: 321,800 m³
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Maximum capacity: 4,500 people
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Parking: 313 car parking spaces
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Bicycle storage: 190 bicycle spaces in the underground garage plus 80 additional spaces outdoors in the courtyard area
The main structure of the building is made of reinforced concrete, built on 527 large-diameter foundations (piles). From an engineering point of view, an interesting feature of the building is the combination of solid concrete, precast parts, long concrete beams reaching over 24 metres, and steel cables that hold up a section of the building across three floors.
The campus uses 122 geothermal wells drilled 199 metres deep into the ground. On the south side of the roof, solar panels (a photovoltaic system) generate power with a capacity of 99.9 kWp.
Fresh air and comfortable room temperature are provided by tens of kilometres of ventilation pipes, 117 air handling units and fans, and over 1,000 fan coil units. The laboratories house more than 200 fume hoods, and the total system capacity is 1,714,570 m³/hour. Special software was needed to control and balance how all this equipment runs together.
The project puts a strong focus on capturing rainwater. Water from the central building roof is collected in an underground storage tank and used mainly to water the outdoor plants. Any extra water overflows into a natural wetland area. Rainwater from the larger faculty building roof flows into a newly built 800 m² artificial pond.
The design and project documentation were created by Bogle Architects. The main construction work was carried out by a partnership of two building companies: BAK stavební společnost, a.s., and SYNER, s.r.o.
“Building the Charles University Campus was a great challenge, not only because of its size, but mainly because of the high-tech equipment inside the buildings—from the geothermal system with 122 deep wells to the large laboratory space with over 200 labs. I am glad that together with the university, the design team, and our construction partner, we successfully finished this ambitious project. I would like to thank Charles University for their trust, as well as all designers, supervisors, and hundreds of site workers for their professional work,” said Robert Špott, Managing Director of SYNER.
“Completing the MEPHARED 2 project proved that our company can handle even the most technologically demanding projects. Building cleanroom laboratories, animal research facilities, and advanced technology for biomedical research required perfect teamwork across all construction and technical trades. I want to thank our partner company and Charles University for their great cooperation. The result is a top-quality complex that will serve generations of future doctors and pharmacists,” added Radek Mrázek, CEO of BAK stavební společnost a.s.
Construction costs
The total estimated cost of the MEPHARED 2 project and its equipment is currently around 7.2 billion CZK. Most of the costs are covered by grants.
Around 4.52 billion CZK comes from an EU grant under the National Recovery Plan (NRP), and almost 1 billion CZK comes from the Czech state budget to cover VAT. A grant of 616 million CZK from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS) was used for the new central building, and around 30 million CZK comes from the Programme Johannes Amos Comenius (OP JAK). Charles University is contributing approximately 1 billion CZK from its own funds.
Representatives of the construction companies and site supervisors were well aware of the faculties' limited financial resources. They actively looked for ways to optimize materials and technical solutions. As a result, the final construction budget increased by a minimal 1.38% compared to the original plan.
Opening of the campus
During the summer months of 2026, both faculties moved from their old buildings into the new facilities.
The new campus will welcome students from both the Faculty of Pharmacy and the Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové on 29 September, when the new academic year begins. Together, the two faculties have around 3,600 students.
Funding
The construction of the new Faculty Building (MEPHARED 2 project) is funded by the European Union under the National Recovery Plan, sub-component 3.2.4: Investments in the development of selected key academic facilities (Investment ID: Z332802000005).
The project is also co-funded by the Programme Johannes Amos Comenius (OP JAK), call no. 02_23_023 ERDF call for Higher Education Institutions – Quality, specifically through the university-wide programme “ERDF Quality at CU” (registration number: CZ.02.02.01/00/23_023/0009064).
The construction of the new Central Building is co-funded under the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS) programme 133 240 (project registration number: 133D241000017).
Information about the Charles University faculties in Hradec Králové
The Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové offers a wide range of attractive study options. In Czech, these include a master’s degree programme in Pharmacy, a bachelor’s degree programme in Laboratory Diagnostics in Healthcare (available in full-time or combined study forms), and a follow-up master’s programme in Bioanalytical Laboratory Diagnostics in Healthcare. Students can also take the bachelor’s programme in Medicinal Plants and Nutraceuticals, which is followed by the master’s programme in Phytochemistry. In English, the faculty offers master’s programmes in Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Around 1,500 undergraduate students study at the faculty. Students also use the faculty’s own Garden of Medicinal Plants for practical training. For doctoral studies (Ph.D.), there are 20 degree programmes available. The Faculty of Pharmacy is also a top research institution and ranks among the scientifically strongest faculties at Charles University. In the QS World University Rankings 2026 by subject, Pharmacy & Pharmacology at Charles University ranked among the top 200–250 universities in the world. The faculty also offers lifelong learning programmes for the public.
The Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové is one of the top medical education and research institutions in the Czech Republic. It offers master’s degree programmes in General Medicine and Dentistry in both Czech and English, as well as bachelor’s degree programmes in General Nursing and Midwifery. More than 2,000 undergraduate students study at the faculty, with international students making up about one-fifth of the student body. Every year, more than 200 new doctors graduate from the faculty. For specialized medical training, the faculty offers 48 programmes (including 3 for dentists) and over 20 doctoral (Ph.D.) programmes in full-time or combined forms. It also organizes lifelong learning programmes for professionals and the general public. In addition, the faculty focuses on biomedical and clinical research. Teaching and research take place across 11 theoretical institutes at the faculty and 32 clinical departments shared with University Hospital Hradec Králové.
Charles University
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Founded in 1348
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17 faculties (14 in Prague, 2 in Hradec Králové, and 1 in Pilsen)
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8,800 employees
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55,000 students
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10,000 graduates per year
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34,000 participants in lifelong learning courses each year
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Ranked 92nd in the QS World University Rankings: Europe